K12 Tech Talk

In the latest episode of the K12 Tech Talk Podcast, co-host Chris shares an update on his SIS implementation struggles, highlighting some mistakes along the way. In the news segment, they discuss a recent ransomware attack on 14 Pinal County school districts and the shift towards data exfiltration in cyber threats. The main topic revolves around the MORENET conference, where AI was a major focus. They delve into COSN and the Council of Great City Schools' readiness checklist on Generative AI, exploring how districts can translate it into actionable plans. The episode wraps up with an intriguing question about personal printers in classrooms. Advertisers for this episode include Ransomware attack on 14 Pinal County school districts' payroll system COSN and Council of Great City Schools' readiness checklist on Generative AI Listen Here or on all major pod platforms Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! SomethingCool.com Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Fortinet - Email [email protected] NTP - Email [email protected] Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us err X us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

In this episode, Mark and Josh sit down with the Godfather of Student Data Privacy, Steve Smith. Steve tells us how student data privacy became "a thing" for his district 15 years ago due to questions from parents, and it morphed into a national organization. He offers tips and pointers on how to get started if your district has not jumped into the seemingly wild waters of SDPA's. Then, Chris and Josh have a discussion with Stuart from Jupiter about what they can do for you if you are looking to migrate your SIS. Listen Here or on all major pod platforms Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! SomethingCool.com Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Fortinet - Email [email protected] NTP - Email [email protected] Jupiter - Email Stuart at [email protected] Looking for a new SIS? Here is our general “demo” video: Jupiter Demo And learn more here: Jupiter Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us err X us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

In this special episode we pay tribute to Pate Hogan, a special friend of the K12 Tech Talk Podcast. Pate appeared on the podcast multiple times over the last few years and we wanted to share some of our favorite moments with Pate. Thank you for the laughs and memories, Pate.

Chris starts the episode with a story about his bad day, talks for 10 minutes, then Mark realizes he didn't press the record button. For the remainder of the episode, Chris is mad at Mark and upset with the day he's had. He does attempt to tell the story again. The guys discuss 3 listener emails and the following: Google fixes fifth actively exploited Chrome zero-day of 2023 Cisco patches zero-day vulnerability under attack | TechTarget Google Podcasts to shut down in 2024 with listeners migrated to YouTube Music | TechCrunch Google is shutting down its Jamboard whiteboarding app - The Verge Oops! Google Search caught publicly indexing users' conversations with Bard AI 6 Suggestions IT Teams Should Ask Teachers When Evaluating Unapproved Technology -- THE Journal Listen Here or on all major pod platforms Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! SomethingCool.com Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Fortinet - Email [email protected] NTP - Email [email protected] Jupiter - Email Stuart at [email protected] Looking for a new SIS? Here is our general “demo” video: Jupiter Demo And learn more here: Jupiter Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us err X us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

Mark, Josh, and Chris discuss two listener emails, Google's third party apps, Google's 10 year announcement on Chromebooks, and they talk at length about contracts, terms of service, and how to handle agreements. Listen Here or on all major pod platforms Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! SomethingCool.com Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Fortinet - Email [email protected] VIZOR - 20% off Jupiter - Email Stuart at [email protected] Looking for a new SIS? Here is our general “demo” video: Jupiter Demo And learn more here: Jupiter Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us err X us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

This is a special episode - We sat down with Alaina Clark, the Assistant Director of Stakeholder Engagement at CISA. We were very happy she agreed to come on and chat with us about all things CISA. She talked about what CISA can help your district accomplish related to your cyber posture, the White House event, and the newly announced Secure By Design Initiative for K12. We really appreciate the time she spent with us and we hope to have folks from CISA on again in the future. Mark and I also quickly talk about the big announcement from Google extending AUE for Chromebooks out to 10 years of life. This is a huge step for device life and cutting down on e-waste. We don't have any sponsor this week due to the special episode, but you know who they are, go visit them.

Every week we say this, but here we go again... It's been a rough few days for Mark and Josh. Mark started school this week and is tired and worn. From power outages to heatwaves, Mark experienced it during his first day of school. Josh had 3 days in a row with major SIS outages ranging from a half day to 20 minutes. This caused him to edit his incident response plan and work through plans for attendance and food service. We also tease an upcoming interview with Alaina Clark, Assistant Director for Stakeholder Engagement for CISA. This interview should be released in the next few days. We are super thankful that Alaina and CISA agreed to this interview. Listen Here or on all major pod platforms Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! SomethingCool.com Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Fortinet - Email [email protected] Jupiter - Email Stuart at [email protected] Looking for a new SIS? Here is our general “demo” video: Jupiter Demo And learn more here: Jupiter Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us err X us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

This is a wild one. We start out recapping our first two weeks of school, but quickly realize Josh is doing all the talking. We talk about a few news stories of cyber incidents at school districts in Connecticut and Maryland. While talking about these incidents, Mark takes offense that Josh and Chris thought Maryland was considered a New England state. The majority of this episode is spent on a topic we found on a Facebook group called "The Principals Desk." There was a post in that group recently talking about different ways to rollout a 1:1 deployment and the pro/cons of each. So, we decided to discuss those options from our viewpoints with upwards of 10 years of 1:1 history each of our districts. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! SomethingCool.com Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Fortinet - Email [email protected] Jupiter - Email Stuart at [email protected] Looking for a new SIS? Here is our general “demo” video: Jupiter Demo And learn more here: Jupiter Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us err X us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

It was past Josh's bed time when this episode was recorded, so he let's Mark do all the talking. Mark shows off his Google Sheet skills by walking us through the CIS controls, specifically IG1. IG1 was mentioned at the White House Convening on K12 Cybersecurity a few weeks ago and we thought it was a good idea to delve into what that means and how to get started with implementation. Mark also talks about the CIS Workbook to help you rate your current security posted against CIS Controls. After completing the Workbook, you are presented with a report that gives you starting points for your weakest ratings. Here is a spreadsheet with IG1, IG2 and IG3. For the sake of this episode, we only focused on IG1. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! SomethingCool.com Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Fortinet - Email [email protected] Jupiter - Email Stuart at [email protected] Looking for a new SIS? Here is our general “demo” video: Jupiter Demo And learn more here: Jupiter Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us err X us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

In this episode, we are happy to have a special guest with us, Josh from New Hampshire AKA "The Other Josh." He was one of approximately 15 K12 CIO's invited to last week's White House Convening. Josh gives us a bit of a behind the scenes look at everything from the e-vite to the event itself. We also have more "hot takes" on what we want to see from Google and other big players in the K12 product/service space. Side Note - This episode had some recording/editing issues. We're sorry. We're trying new podcast recording software and it didn't go so well lolol. Mark tried to fix it. Kudos to Mark. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Fortinet - Email [email protected] - Free Security Awareness Training NTP Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] ConvergeOne SomethingCool.com Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us err X us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

In this episode, Chris recaps his trip to the Annual ISAC Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah last week. We talk about a new Papercut Vulnerability, a study that shows 47% of schools paid ransom groups, and Zoom's abrupt change to their TOS and Privacy Policy to include AI training. However, the majority of this episode is about the White House convening that took place this week. They brought in big players in "Big IT" along with representatives from K12 school districts around the country to announce new initiatives to protect schools. One of those items is a new Guidebook from Google, however, we do have some "Hot Takes" on what was announced... Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Fortinet - Email [email protected] - Free Security Awareness Training NTP Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] ConvergeOne SomethingCool.com Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us err X us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

In this episode, Chris leads us off with sad stories about storms, power outages, dead UPSs, and dead servers. Mark leads us in a discussion about a new report from CISA titled "2022 Top Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities." It is an interesting report on the top leveraged vulnerabilities for 2022 and methods to mitigate. Josh doesn't have any stories, but he talks A LOT. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! KCAV Fortinet - Email [email protected] Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] VIZOR SomethingCool.com Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us err X us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

The guys discuss the woes of new employees, employees changing positions, and employees leaving. They do a couple listener emails and discuss K12TechPro. Oh, and they try out a LIVE STREAM of the podcast via K12TechPro (more of that coming down the road probably!). Finally, Chris gives a bit more clarity on the vetting roadmap of K12TechPro and the k12sysadmin subreddit. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! RTI Fortinet - Email [email protected] Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] VIZOR SomethingCool.com Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

We are tired and worn out! Mark and Chris spent the early part of the week at MidwestTechTalk and they are worn out. Josh is tired from working a full week after being gone for 2 weeks to ALASKA. Mark and Chris recap the MidwestTechTalk conference and Mark shares his observations about Missouri. We talk about the recent Class Action Lawsuit filed against Securly alleging that they sold student data to a 3rd party. We dream and brainstorm about what IoT devices we could see in classrooms over the next 5-10 years. Finally, Chris gives a bit more clarity on the relationships between K12TechPro and the k12sysadmin subreddit. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! HPE/Aruba - Email [email protected] Fortinet - Email [email protected] Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] NTP SomethingCool.com Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

In this episode, Josh talks about Alaska. The guys talk about other things too, but mostly Josh talks about Alaska. Chris was probably supposed to post some additional links in the description, but he doesn't remember them... he only remembers Josh talking about Alaska. FCC Announcement about Cyber Security Funding AI generated images for every state (article referenced during the episode) Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! HPE/Aruba - Email [email protected] Fortinet - Email [email protected] Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] NTP SomethingCool.com Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

This is a special episode. We interview Christy Wyatt, the CEO of Absolute. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. K12 Tech Talk Absolute Resource Links Absolute Research Reports Absolute for Education/K12 Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

Chris, Josh, and Mark discuss the recent news that Fairfax County Public Schools sent teachers an appreciation email that ended up being a phishing test (Washington Post article), and they debate on if it was right or wrong to do. Too far maybe? Chris talks about setting up restricted Google access as well as doing the "under 18 third party apps" Google stuff, and the articles about both on K12TechPro, and Josh talks about some phrase he found on the internet that is thought provoking about cybersecurity supposedly. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Provision Data Solutions Fortinet - Email [email protected] Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] NTP SomethingCool.com Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

In this episode, we talk about the MoveIT vulnerability and the recent Fortinet SSL VPN vulnerability. The majority of the episode is spent covering the various versions of MFA, including a deep dive into what Passkeys are. If you are a Google Workspace school district, you should take note and enable the option for Passkey MFA. We talk about disabling IMAP for Gmail as a step to enhance email security. Josh talks about his fiber project that is now underway. BleepingComputer article about Fortinet SSLVPN issue CISA press release about MoveIT Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Managed Methods - free Google Workspace and/or Microsoft 365 security audit Fortinet - Email [email protected] Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] VIZOR SomethingCool.com Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

Josh is on vacation, so it's the Chris and Mark Show! We discuss Microsoft OneDrive being down, the upcoming MidwestTechTalk conference, and most of the episode is spent taking the K12 Six cybersecurity self-assessment. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Managed Methods - free Google Workspace and/or Microsoft 365 security audit Fortinet - Email [email protected] Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] NTP SomethingCool.com Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

In this episode, we talk about the possibility of requiring Student MFA (thanks to a k12sysadmin post). We also talk about Chris prepping for his network admin to retire and the "brain dump" process they are undertaking. Finally, we talk about the recently announced change to "3rd Party Apps" authentication with Google SSO. This change takes effect on October 23rd, 2023 and will cause issues. The time to act is now... DON'T WAIT! An article we wrote on K12TechPro with 3rd Party Apps instructions is here. Google article is here... https://support.google.com/a/answer/13289151 Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Managed Methods - free Google Workspace and/or Microsoft 365 security audit Fortinet - Email [email protected] Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] NTP SomethingCool.com Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

Chis is off napping somewhere so it is the Mark and Josh show. They recap the recently released "CoSN 2023 State of EdTech Leadership Survey" that was released this week. They go over 11 key findings and trends that came out of the study. Some might surprised you. Mark talks about figured out how to block international logins to Google Workspace accounts. Hint - he made a full writeup on the K12 Tech Pro Community The guys also talk about the newly refreshed #StopRansomware Report from CISA/FBI. Finally there is a quick interview with Jeff and Dean from VIZOR about what Vizor can do for your district Buy our merch!!! VIZOR Managed Methods - free Google Workspace and/or Microsoft 365 security audit Fortinet - Email [email protected] Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] NTP SomethingCool.com Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod

We quickly talk about the SchoolDude breach and Keepass's newly announced CVE. The majority of the episode is an interview with Lucas from PIRG. Lucas is the author of the study we referenced a few weeks ago in the episode "Chromebooks are Evil?." The study looks at "Chromebook Churn" and e-waste created by device usage. After that episode a few weeks ago, Lucas reached out to us to clarify a few points of the study. So, we invited him on to make those clarifications to our listeners. We had an interesting discussion with Lucas, and came away agreeing on more points than we disagree. Article that Mark refers to - Why do we replace our laptops every few years? Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Managed Methods - free Google Workspace and/or Microsoft 365 security audit Fortinet - Email [email protected] Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] NTP SomethingCool.com Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

🎶Together and it feels so good...🎵 We are all together for the first time at the New Hampshire CTO Clinic! First and foremost, we thank Barbara and the committee for inviting us and making the trip possible - We had a blast! We got to hang out with the fine folks of the "Live Free or Die" State and talk all things K12 technology. The key topics were cybersecurity and data privacy. We had a chance to interview Pam and Josh, two of the driving forces behind New Hampshire's outstanding Student Data Privacy standards. We also interview Neal who everyone says "Neal is the State's cyber guy!" Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Managed Methods Fortinet - Email [email protected] Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] NTP SomethingCool.com Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod

This is a bit of a special episode. We are in New Hampshire for the NHCTO Clinic, so we prerecorded a few interviews. The first interview you will hear is with Andrew and George from Lakota Local School District. George is a student in high school and is completing their Cyber Academy program and gaining Industry Recognized Certificates (Including Security+ and CEH pro). This has opened doors for George and he is currently working as a cybersecurity professional for a company in his area while going to school. It's a really cool program and has given us a few ideas. The second interview you will hear is a chat with a number of representatives from Absolute. They go into detail about what their product can offer schools. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Absolute - Email [email protected] Absolute - Ensuring your Students’ Safety Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - X360 Cloud Solution for backing up Google Workspace Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] NTP Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod

Mark is worked up this week, but first... Chris asks us how to keep printers from getting to bad websites, we talk about the big PaperCut vulnerability announced last week, we compare Chris' personality and mannerisms to Ted Lasso, we talk about the new pending Federal Legislation to enhance K12 Cyber Security, and Mark talks about Domain Doppelgänger from KnowBe4. The majority of this episode is spent talking about a "study" that was published last week about how Chromebooks are evil. The study talks about how schools have spent money buying millions of Chromebooks but those Chromebooks can't be repaired, have a "death date," and creating huge amounts of e-waste. This article got Mark worked up and he walks us through debunking each and every claim in this article and, in the process, we have a few good laughs. K12 Cyber Legislation - https://thejournal.com/articles/2023/04/20/federal-legislation-would-create-k12-cybersecurity-improvement-program.aspx PIRG "study" - https://pirg.org/edfund/resources/chromebook-churn-report-highlights-problems-of-short-lived-laptops-in-schools/ Papercut CVE - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/exploit-released-for-papercut-flaw-abused-to-hijack-servers-patch-now/ Domain Doppelgänger - https://www.knowbe4.com/domain-doppelganger Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Absolute - Email [email protected] Strengthening Security and Compliance Posture through Cyber Resilience in Education Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - X360 Cloud Solution for backing up Google Workspace Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] NTP Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod

In this episode, Josh is really confused about the artist known as SZA and CISA, Mark reads a listener email, Chris talks about the tabletop exercise he did with his district administration team, and the guys banter about Missouri's proposed Senate Bill 4 that could affect website access. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Absolute - Email [email protected] Strengthening Security and Compliance Posture through Cyber Resilience in Education Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - X360 Cloud Solution for backing up Google Workspace Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] NTP Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Reddit NH CTO Clinic

We have a number of listener emails that we address tonight. One is about shutting down SIS during off hours in an effort to protect it from attacks, one is about the Chrome net-export exploit, and the final one is about our retrospective on the COVID Years. We talk about CISA's new tabletop exercise template and how it would be fun to treat like it D&D: School Edition. We also talk about Black Hills Information Security's "Backdoors & Breaches" card game. We also talk about how "testing season" has changed over the last 5-7 years; from when devices were shared and testing was staggered to now when you can test an entire building in a few days. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Absolute - Email [email protected] Absolute Ransomware Response Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - X360 Cloud Solution for backing up Google Workspace Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Reddit NH CTO Clinic

In this episode, the guys talk about key things to keep in mind when working with vendors to get Student Data Privacy Agreements signed. They also talk about the Clever outage on 4/6/2023. Josh also talks Chris into changing a Google Admin WiFi setting while riding in the car. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Absolute - Email [email protected] Absolute Audit Support Video Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - X360 Cloud Solution for backing up Google Workspace Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Reddit

Chris is back after a suspension and traveling to the CoSN conference. He recaps some of the discussion and overall trending topics from the CoSN conference. He also discusses the fact that he did not appreciate Eric the Intern's love for walking everywhere in Austin (and other Eric antics). Josh talks about the 3CX phone system vulnerability that was published 3/29/2023 by CrowdStrike and Red Canary. Hint - If you have a 3CX phone system, you will want to look this issue up and mitigate it right away. Of course, ChatGPT makes it's way into conversation this week again too. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Absolute - Email [email protected] Absolute Education Solutions Brief Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - X360 Cloud Solution for backing up Google Workspace Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Reddit

On this special episode (brought to you by ClassLink), Chris and Eric the Intern take a trip to Austin and spend the week at the CoSN conference! Because they interviewed so many and got such good content, we’ll be breaking this into two parts. You’ll hear from: -Eric Nicklas, Program Manager, MOREnet -Don Ringelestein, CTO, Maine Township High School District 207, CoSN Board -Evangelina Mendoza, CTO, San Antonio Independent School District, CoSN Board -Tim Clark & Monica Watts, 1EdTech -Melody Lam, Learning Tools Developer, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools -Dayna Aravich & Dan Stoneman, Gartner -Shahryar Khazei, retired CIO of Los Angeles Unified, CoSN Board -Tom Ryan, Co-Founder at K-12 Strategic Technology Advisory Group, former CIO of Albuquerque Public Schools, and member of the Council of Great City Schools -Jan Mills, Senior Vice President of Sales, ClassLink -Steve Langford, CIO, Beaverton School District, Retiring CoSN Chair -Marlo Gaddis, CTO, Wake County Public School System -Keith Krueger, CEO, CoSN ClassLink - Cybersecurity Rubric for Schools https://www.classlink.com/news/groundbreaking-new-cybersecurity-rubric-guides-schools-toward-improved-security-practices ClassLink – DataGuard https://www.classlink.com/news/classlink-announces-dataguard-and-advanced-iam-tools

On this special episode (brought to you by ClassLink), Chris and Eric the Intern take a trip to Austin and spend the week at the CoSN conference! Because they interviewed so many and got such good content, we’ll be breaking this into two parts. You’ll hear from: -Eric Nicklas, Program Manager, MOREnet -Don Ringelestein, CTO, Maine Township High School District 207, CoSN Board -Evangelina Mendoza, CTO, San Antonio Independent School District, CoSN Board -Tim Clark & Monica Watts, 1EdTech -Melody Lam, Learning Tools Developer, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools -Dayna Aravich & Dan Stoneman, Gartner -Shahryar Khazei, retired CIO of Los Angeles Unified, CoSN Board -Tom Ryan, Co-Founder at K-12 Strategic Technology Advisory Group, former CIO of Albuquerque Public Schools, and member of the Council of Great City Schools -Jan Mills, Senior Vice President of Sales, ClassLink -Steve Langford, CIO, Beaverton School District, Retiring CoSN Chair -Marlo Gaddis, CTO, Wake County Public School System -Keith Krueger, CEO, CoSN ClassLink - Cybersecurity Rubric for Schools https://www.classlink.com/news/groundbreaking-new-cybersecurity-rubric-guides-schools-toward-improved-security-practices ClassLink – DataGuard https://www.classlink.com/news/classlink-announces-dataguard-and-advanced-iam-tools

In tonight's episode Josh, Mark, and Eric the Intern chat about CISA's new K12 Cyber Report and their 3 fundamental items that all districts should be tackling... *hint, hint* one is MFA. Josh talks about his 3 internet outages that took place in the last 10 days and how that is causing him to look at backup WAN connections. The guys also spend time talking about the 3 year anniversary of when schools first shut down for COVID. It's hard to believe that was 3 years ago this week! Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com (and join the Community). Buy our merch!!! Vizor - 20% Off Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Reddit

Chris is on leave again this week, so Mark and Josh do their best to proceed without him. Mark recaps the K12 SIX Conference that was held in Austin, Texas. Josh talks about trying to change a SSID over to WPA3 and it did not go well. They also talk about a new method students are using to attempt to crack WPA2 passphrases on Chromebooks using the chrome://net-export page. The majority of this episode is an interview that Chris and Mark conducted with Mr. Doug Levin, founder of K12 SIX. Doug sat down with the guys to talk about what K12 SIX offers to districts and what the goal of the conference is. LISTEN HERE (and on all major podcast platforms). Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!! Vizor - 20% Off Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Reddit

This is the second part of the interview with Soheil Katal, the CIO for LAUSD. In Episode 108 Interview Part One, we set the stage and talk through the first few days of the cyber incident that took place in September 2022. Go back and listen to Part One if you have not already. In this episode Soheil talks about bringing in the FBI and how their goal was not necessarily the same goal that Soheil and his team had. We also crack a few jokes about the news stories that said LAUSD "picked up the phone and called the Whitehouse" asking for more assistance from the Federal Government, and yes, it pretty much happened that way. We would like to thank Soheil for taking the time out of his schedule to grant us this interview. Like we said before, we are pretty certain this is the first and only one on one interview that Soheil has granted since the event took place, and we are VERY grateful that he was willing to talk to us. LISTEN HERE (and on all major podcast platforms). Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!! Vizor - 20% Off Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

In part one of our exclusive 2-part interview on K12 Tech Talk, we sat down with Soheil Katal, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Los Angeles School District, to discuss the recent ransomware attack that rocked the district's systems and caused disruption for students and staff alike. Katal shared his firsthand account of the impact of the attack and the challenges of trying to restore the district's systems and data. But that's not all. Katal is a seasoned technology leader, and he shared his invaluable perspective on the broader issue of cybersecurity and how organizations can better protect themselves from ransomware attacks. In part two of this interview, which will publish next week, Katal provides deeper insights into the broader issue of cybersecurity, including practical steps that organizations can take to better protect themselves. He also discusses the importance of regular backups, employee training, and the need for a comprehensive security strategy. If you're an educator, IT professional, or simply someone who wants to learn more about how to protect yourself from cyber threats, you won't want to miss this 2-part interview. Katal provides valuable lessons and takeaways that you can apply in your own life and work. So stay tuned for part two of K12 Tech Talk's exclusive interview with Soheil Katal, the CIO of Los Angeles School District, as he shares his insights and experiences in the wake of the district's recent ransomware attack. LISTEN HERE (and on all major podcast platforms). Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!! Vizor - 20% Off Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

BIG NEWS! In this episode, we set up Episode 108, an interview with Soheil Katal, the CIO of Los Angeles Unified School District. We are pretty certain this is the first one on one interview he has given, and we got it! As you can tell, we're excited. But first, in this episode, we mention a cheating scandal at a High School in Florida that involves... you guessed it... everyone's favorite AI bot, ChatGPT. We have a listener email about the blurred lines between door access control systems and security camera systems, and when is it an IT issue, a Maintenance issue, or a Safety issue. Come back for Episode 108 (and it will probably be split into two episodes). Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!! Vizor - 20% Off Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

Our influx of listener emails continues, and we field a question about esports, one about recovering from COVID challenges, and we say G'day to a listener from Australia. We also spend a good amount of time talking about rolling out MFA requirements and a few settings in Google Admin Console that might make that rollout easier. We also talk about some upcoming conferences that "we" will be attending including but not limited to K12Six, CoSN, and NHCTO. Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!! Vizor - 20% Off Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

We had so many listener emails that we can't get to them all this week. We will save a few for next week, but keep 'em coming! A few weeks ago, we talked about Sh1mmer, the new shim package that was released that allowed individuals to remove Chromebooks from Google Admin Console, etc. We received an email from the group who developed Sh1mmer and they wanted to clarify some items that we got wrong. In this episode, Chris tells the story of the email exchange with two people from the group, including us asking Jack Rhysider from Darknet Diaries for some tips, and then there's a plot twist at the end that surprised us. We have a few listener emails; one about mandated reporter laws and what we got wrong (We are sensing a theme here) and one about internet access for the public and during sporting events in schools. We also interview Megan, a ClassLink user, about how ClassLink has changed her life for the better. And, of course, we have the Forti-Question-of-the-Week... What are you doing for internet and phone redundancy? ClassLink Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!!

Mark is absent (AKA suspended for his actions last week), so Eric fills in for him. We have two listener emails; one about Chromebook rotation and one about interactive boards/panels. We talk about ChatGPT's Terms of Service requirement of 18 years old for use. We talk about Google Meet and Zoom supporting each other's clients and interoperability. We also go down another "rabbit hole" about taking time to block VPNs and content filter avoidance websites. Mark should be off suspension and return next week. Google Meet and Zoom article we talk about Visit our sponsors: ClassLink Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!!

The guys are off the rails tonight. They have a listener email that asks some tough questions, they talk about the sh1mmer vulnerability affecting Chromebooks, and they talk about going down rabbit holes and spending time to address issues. Chris and Josh talk about an Extreme Networks boot camp they went to, and then the guys wrap it up with Fortinet's Security Segment Question of the Week... and that's when the wheels fall off. We aren't sure how the Fortinet marketing folks will respond to our great ideas for product names! Visit our sponsors: ClassLink Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!!

In this episode, Chris, Josh, and Mark talk details on their upcoming session at the SecurED Schools conference, they unpack two listener emails, give the latest on ChatGPT in their schools, and Mark shares an article about students viewing pornography at school and the tech dept's responsibility. The Fortinet Security Segment Question of the Week is related to MFA/2FA. Visit our sponsors: ClassLink Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!!

The guys are back from the holiday break and they are ready to go! ChatGPT is in the news and the guys talk through their stances on whether to block or allow, and valid uses for ChatGPT. In fact, during the episode, Mark used ChatGPT to write a policy about the use of personal devices at work... and it's amazing. GPTrue or False (extension we discuss) Article Chris mentions about ChatGPT They have an email from listener Pate about allowing students to change profile pics, names, and gender in Google. Josh mentioned Intrado's ransomware incident. The Fortinet Security Segment Question of the Week is related to phishing staff. Visit our sponsors: ClassLink Fortinet - Email [email protected] SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email [email protected] Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!!

Last week the guys asked all the guests to look back at 2022, and give a forecast for 2023. In this episode, it's the guys' turn. They each take an assessment of 2022, and look forward to see what 2023 might hold. Also, Chris rants about being required to fill out the NCSR. Visit our sponsors: ClassLink Fortinet SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - [email protected] Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!!

Tonight we celebrate Episode 100 with a retrospective of sorts with visits from former guests, loyal listeners, former hosts (Cory), a sponsor, and one you won't believe. Somehow Chris convinced Jack Rhysider from Darknet Diaries to come on and help us celebrate episode 100. All of our guests (including Jack) talk about their plans for 2023 and top priorities. The lineup is as follows: Jeremy from SomethingCool.com, Listener Pate, Listener/Fill-in Host Eric, Jack Rhysider, Listener Dan, Listener Joe, and Former Co-host Cory. We really appreciate everyone joining and spending time with us this evening. Without our listeners, this show would not exist. We made it to Episode 100 because of you. And special shoutout to Jack Rhysider for joining us; he didn't have to and was super awesome to talk to. Please visit our sponsors. They make the show possible. Visit our sponsors: Managed Methods Free Google security audit that Managed Methods is running through the end of the year - https://hubs.ly/Q01sHqqY0 SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Provision Data Solutions Extreme Networks - [email protected] Jefferson College's success with Extreme Networks Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!!

We took the week off for Thanksgiving to rest and relax, but we are back and hitting it hard! We as in Josh and Mark; Chris is in a Christmas parade at the time of this recording lolol. If you have not listened to Episodes 97 and 98, STOP NOW and go listen to those episodes first. 99 is the third episode in this series. In 97, we talk with a superintendent about a cyber attack on his school. In 98, we talk about fostering a cyber security culture in schools. We promise they are worth the listen. In this episode, we talk with Don Wolf from Portland Public Schools and Idrissa Davis from St. Paul Public Schools to find out just what is a "cyber plan." Cyber plans are being required by insurance companies, and some state legislatures, but people have a hard time defining what goes into a cyber plan. We hope that after listening to this episode you will have a much better understanding of what goes into a cyber plan, and how to start developing your own. Visit our sponsors: Managed Methods Free Google security audit that Managed Methods is running through the end of the year - https://hubs.ly/Q01sHqqY0 SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Provision Data Solutions Extreme Networks - [email protected] Jefferson College's success with Extreme Networks Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!!

TELL ME I HAVE AN UGLY BABY!!! This is the second episode in our three part series about enhancing school district cybersecurity posture. Last week we spoke with Scott Elder, the Superintendent of Albuquerque Public Schools about their ransomware attack. This week we speak with Tom Ryan and Lenny Schad. Tom is the former CIO of Albuquerque Public Schools, current CoSN board member, and member of the Council of Great City Schools. Lenny is the former CIO of Katy (TX) ISD, the former CIO of Houston (TX) ISD, and a former CoSN board member. They both help us understand what we can do to make cyber security the responsibility of the entire school district, not just the responsibility of the IT Department. OH, AND TELL ME I HAVE AN UGLY BABY!!! Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!! Visit our sponsors: Managed Methods ManagedMethods/EdWeek Research Center K-12 cybersecurity & safety survey white paper download: https://hubs.ly/Q01nRG5l0 SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Provision Data Solutions Extreme Networks - [email protected] Jefferson College's success with Extreme Networks Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

Tonight we sit down with Scott Elder, the Superintendent of Albuquerque Public Schools. We talk about the ransomware attack they experienced in January 2021. This discussion is from the perspective of the Superintendent during the attack. Scott is wildly candid and honest about the experience. This is the first episode in our three part series. The second episode will be about Organizational Change related to Cyber with Tom Ryan (Board Chair of CoSN) and Lenny Schad (Former Houston ISD CIO). The third episode will be about building your own Cyber Plan with Don Wolf (Portland CIO) and Idris Davis (St. Paul CIO). Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!! Visit our sponsors: Managed Methods -Recently hosted a panel discussion on cybersecurity and the future of learning. You can watch that recording on demand https://hubs.ly/Q01nRG4B0 -K-12 Ransomware Security Success Kit: https://hubs.ly/Q01nRG4-0 SomethingCool.com Provision Data Solutions Extreme Networks - [email protected] Jefferson College's success with Extreme Networks Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

In this episode the guys cover the E-Rate admin window, filling out the 2022 NCSR, and getting verified Twitter accounts for schools. Also, Josh talks about getting rid of an obsolete records system still running on Windows XP. Mark teases our upcoming 3 episode series with MEGA-sized district leaders examining ransomware events and the need for Incident Response Plans. Finally, Josh talks about the steps he took to keep one student from emailing other students. Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!! Visit our sponsors: Managed Methods - [email protected] SomethingCool.com Provision Data Solutions Extreme Networks - [email protected] Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

In this episode the guys tell their own Scary IT Stories that they have experienced. Josh and Chris recap the MOREnet conference and also talk about their struggles with e911. Mark talks about getting DKIM and DMARC set up on his email. Josh quickly talks about the FortiGate vulnerability that was announced a few weeks ago. And Chris works through some childhood scars related to little league baseball. Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!! Visit our sponsors: Managed Methods (Webinar coming up 11/3/22 https://hubs.ly/Q01nRG4B0) SomethingCool.com Provision Data Solutions Extreme Networks Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

This week Chris and Josh hit the road! They are in Osage Beach, Missouri at the MOREnet Conference. They interview random K12 techs from across the state and ask them to tell their scary IT stories. Oh, and there might be a former K12 Tech Talk host that comes out of retirement and joins us for a few minutes. We talk to Eric, Pate, Eric, Ryan, Cory, and Brett. Visit our sponsors: Rise Vision EMAIL Shea Darlison, [email protected] !!! SomethingCool.com PDS Extreme Networks Oh, and... Email us at [email protected] Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!!